Four Little Loves

The best part of my weekend!!

I love these little dudes!

Getting Away

This weekend Matthew and I took our first ever getaway without the kiddos.  Matthew had earned a safety award at work which we redeemed for a bedandbreakfast.com gift certificate.  We decided that we wanted to go to Michigan and go skiing and then  stay at a B&B.  Having never stayed at a B&B before, I researched extensively to find one that I thought we'd enjoy.  We finally decided on Castle in the Country in Allegan, MI.  It looked gorgeous, and it was only 8 miles from the ski resort.  

Let me tell you, this place was NOT a mistake.  It was beautiful and every detail was thought out by the owners.  The house, and specifically our room was gorgeous. 

The breakfasts were delicious, and the nighttime cookies were yummy!

On our first night there, we were treated to a snow storm that left 6 inches of the fluffy white stuff covering everything.

This is the snow coming down on Friday night.

By Saturday it was just picturesque! 

Friday evening, we went to a restaurant just down the road called, The Grill House. 

It opened in the 1830's as a boarding home for lumberjacks and according to legend has a ghost named, "Jack" residing there.  There were two menus to choose from, one of which was the "grill menu" where you got to go in and choose your own steak and then grill it yourself in their grill room.  Matthew loved doing this, and we had a phenomenal steak dinner compliments of the chef! 

 It was a fun and unique dining experience!

Saturday, we headed over to Bittersweet and enjoyed a day on the slopes.

Then Saturday evening, we took the suggestion of the B&B owners and headed to Fennville, MI for dinner.  Salt of the Earth was another unique dining experience featuring all local and organic ingredients.  They even made their own ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise.  After enjoying another wonderful dinner, we made the trip back to Castle in the Country to relax and contemplate how we need to get away a little more often!

We had a great time reconnecting and relaxing, but we spent a lot of time talking about our boys and how much they'd have enjoyed some of the things that we did.  It makes me thankful that generally we're people who tote our kids along when we travel. 

The only traumatic part of the weekend came when we were skyping with the boys before they went to bed and Eli vomited all over Grandma's computer.  Nothing like a little cyber vomit to liven up the party!

We had planned to stop and pick up a little something for the boys on our way home.   Then we realized that we had to take a different route to get to my parent's house where the boys were.   We still figured that we'd be able to find something along the way- but alas, there was nothing!   We were disappointed, but still wanted to figure out something so we ended up bringing the boys this, from Michigan of course...

Meet Sheldon Bo Beldon!

He actually hails from a PetSmart in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, but it's the thought that counts, right?

We had an amazing weekend, but we were so happy to be back and be greeted by our boys' smiling faces! 

Embracing the Camera

I know I've missed a few weeks of embracing, but I really like the idea of this so this week I'm back and embracing with...

Owen

While the other kiddos were sleeping this afternoon, I snagged some quiet time with this handsome guy.  I'm treasuring the moments that he'll still let me snuggle him because he's just getting oh-so-big.  It's hard to imagine the days that lie ahead where he'll be too big to curl up in my lap.   I don't want to imagine them... For now, I'm just going to hold him close and try to soak up these memories.

In funnier Owen related news, today I picked him up from school and he was telling me how they were learning rhyming words today in school.  I asked him if he could tell me some rhyming words and he responded with, "Floor, door, more, whore, tore, core.  Are those good ones Mom?" 

Excellent rhyming... Less than appropriate word choice.  

He had no idea what he had said, so I just let it slide until the rhyming got sillier and sillier and expanded to include nonsense words, and occasionally other less than appropriate "real" words.  We had a brief conversation about the importance of rhyming with words that we know, and I left it at that! 



We have a Gold Belt!

Tonight was Owen's first promotion night for Karate.  He promoted to a gold belt, and he couldn't be prouder.  He and all of his classmates showed off all of their skills and then each child received their new belt.  It was a fun and special night, and we were thankful that Grandma and Grandpa made the trip down to celebrate the accomplishment! 

Practicing

Demonstrating punches

Demonstrating escapes

Ready to receive his new belt

Tying on the new belt

Brand new gold belt!

Proud parents!

Newly promoted class!

Valentines for the Little Loves

I've been searching the internet for the past couple of months for the perfect valentines for Owen's class.  I came across these and Owen loved them- so we had a winner!!

Last weekend, Owen and I went about the work of making these little cuties, and we had a blast!  I LOVED making these!! 

 I had a huge bag of crayons left over from my teaching days so we peeled them, broke them,  and melted them into hearts!  I made paper valentines to go with them that he can sign. 

I'm going to be sad when I actually have take them out of my jar and give them to small children :) 

Y'all know how excited I get about babies.  I mean, I get REALLY excited when someone I know is going to have a baby.  I love it.  I personally don't have a great time being pregnant, but I adore other pregnant people. 

As a result, I am super stoked to go to a baby shower this weekend for my childhood best friend, Les's, wife.  They've been looking forward to having a baby for awhile now, so I am so happy for them that it's happening. 

Last fall we went to the labor day festival in my hometown. Owen called dibs on riding in the parade in Grandpa's corvette and Eli wasn't too pleased. Fortunately, Les came to the rescue and let Eli ride in the parade with him on his tractor.  Eli's normally not nuts about people that he doesn't know well, but he just loved Les.

They are going to be wonderful parents and I can't wait to meet that sweet, little  nugget. I'm just hope that he/she gets his/her mama's good looks!   (Just kidding Les-sort of :)

A Super City

Today our city is playing host to the 2012 Super Bowl.  It's been pretty incredible to watch the preparations and see our state come together to make the event unforgettable. Matthew had the pleasure of attending a conference with a spokesperson from the Super Bowl commission a few weeks ago and he couldn't believe all of the planning and details that went into this event.  He assured me that they'd thought of everything, and that we were ready for the big game.

  I'm loving reading the media's reaction to our Super Bowl, with articles here and here touting this as the BEST Super Bowl that's ever been.  Maybe it's easier to impress when everyone outside of Indiana had such low expectations, but it's still really nice to see our wonderful city getting some love! Even Mother Nature was smiling down on us this week with the unseasonably warm weather that graced the city. Crowds have swarmed, ziplines have zoomed, and the city has rallied to provide the best possible experience for everyone in attendance!  

We made it down to the Super Bowl Village last weekend, and it was a pretty neat experience.  It was c-o-l-d the day that we went, but I'm glad that we got to see everything.  

Random Mom Stuff

1. You need a Tribe.  Momming is tough stuff, and you need aTribe to get you through it.  Today was a day we were incredibly thankful for the Tribe.

2. Good mom friends are priceless.  I recently read a book about the importance of having inner and outer circle mom friends. Both kinds are incredibly important.  The inner circle ones are the ones that could/would step into your shoes and take over if a crisis happened.  They could mother your children in your proxy if need be.  They can pick you up when you have not one ounce of strength left to stand on your own.  They know you better than you know yourself. 
The outer circle friends are also amazing.  They'll take you out for a girl's night when you're feeling down. They can make you laugh. They'll bring you a casserole when you've been sick.  They'll pick your kids up from school to help you out in a pinch.  I'm so incredibly thankful for my girlfriends.  I'm thankful for Owen being in school and for the opportunity to develop more mommy friendships.

3. My Owen is getting so big.  He went on his first mommy-less playdate today!  He was invited over to a friend's house after school today and he hasn't stopped talking about what a fun time he had. He loved his lunch, he loved their bounce house, he loved their house.  He loved their house so much that he suggested that we get one just like it--- but "we could hang our own pictures and stuff." he assured me.   He concluded with, "If they invite me over again, I'll definitely go!"  It was sweet to see him be so excited!

4. My boys have both had different kinds of sickness this week.  Eli's had an odd stomach thing going on where he didn't feel like eating.  He wasn't vomiting or feverish, just had a tummy ache.  Owen had one night of croup.  It was a really bad attack, and I ended up staying up with him all night with him because his breathing was so scary.

I hate seeing my kiddos sick. I do. But for some reason, I feel like that's when I know how to mother best.  Is that weird?  When they're sick, I know just how to hold them so that they're most comfortable. I know how to cool a feverish body. I know how to steam away croup.  There are things that I can do for them when they're not feeling well. 

5. My boys are pretty incredible little people. I swear that they're changing every day. 

6. When I took Owen to the doc this week, I found out that he's grown 1.75 inches and gained 2 pounds since August.  I think that most of that's been in the past 3 weeks.  Since Eli's not been eating, Owen had literally been eating both his and Eli's portions.  One night he ate all of his meal, most of Eli's, and part of his Grandpa's!  Kid is packing away some food!

7. Eli had a hard lesson tonight in how three-year-old tyranny is not tolerated in our home.  Tonight's tyrannical attempt was in regards to favorite jammies being in the wash. Silly you say? Why yes it was.  Even sillier was the crying, snotting, stomping, naked fit that was thrown in regards to said jammies.  He eventually realized that no amount of bullying on his part was going to result in the jammies being magically clean and settled for a less desirable pair of jammies.  It's TOUGH to be three sometimes.

Happy (belated) Birthday Grandpa!

Last week my grandpa turned 91 years old, so this weekend we all celebrated him!  We had fried chicken, mashed potatoes &gravy, green beans and apple salad. All of his favorites! 

My mom made him his favorite Coca-cola cake, we sang Happy Birthday, and he blew out his candle... (91 candles is a fire hazard y'all!)  I think that he had a really good day.

                                    

Grandpa LOVES my boys.  I think that it's evidenced here by the huge smile on his face.  A smile you rarely see unless they're around.  

My Grandpa is an extraordinary man.  He still lives alone, passes his driving test annually, and amazes his doctor continually with his perseverance, strength, and general good health!   I am so thankful to be able to celebrate his birthday with him. 

Love you Grandpa!! 

How's the Weather?

First, Let's talk about the weather, K? 

 It's fan-freaking-tastic! 

Today's weather was absolutely gorgeous... But let's face it, tomorrow there could be a blizzard, this is the midwest after all...  It is strange though, this is the mildest winter that I can remember.  But after last winter where we had snow on the ground for months, I guess that we had it coming.

Today was so beautiful that the kids all got to play outside.  Sara and I even romped around on the trampoline with our three kiddos until it got dark.  I'm so incredibly thankful for days like these in the middle of winter!!  The sun makes me HAPPY!!

Secondly, Today I registered my boys for school for next year.  Did you read that sentence correctly?  Boys... With an "s".  Who said that my baby could be old enough for school?  I mean I've had to come to terms (sorta) with the fact that Owen is growing up; still it's hard to believe that he'll be in Kindergarten next year. Kindergarten comes with uniforms- and a uniform just makes it seem so... real.  

(He looks so old in this year's school picture!)

 But I figured that I could do a better job of keeping Eli little for a long time.  He still seems little, and Matthew and I agreed that he'll be celebrating his second annual 3rd birthday this year.  (Just like I'll be celebrating my second annual 29th birthday- THANK YOU VERY MUCH!) 

 But apparently, he's slipped through my grasp as well, considering I sent a birth certificate, vaccination records and a $50 check all with his name on it to the school today.  Sadness.  

Eli however, cannot wait to go to school!  He already has a backpack (that he wants to wear all of the time) and he tells everyone he meets that he's going to school next year.  *sigh*

Even though it's hard to let go- it's amazing to see them learn and grow.  Owen has just blossomed so much this year. You can just watch his wheels turning as he internalizes something new.  He asks thoughtful questions & explains things to me that he's learned.  Eli is also amazing me with the things that he's doing.  I have no doubt that he'll thrive when he starts preschool next year!